Last updated: 7th April, 2026

1. You can act on problems without having a code of conduct.

If someone is behaving harmfully, you can ask them to stop or ask them to leave, whether or not you have a policy in place.

However, there can be benefits to spelling out the group’s expectations, including by having a code of conduct.

2. Key: Set expectations and provide contact info

A code of conduct sets expectations about behaviour in a space, and who to contact if there’s a problem.

Think about what’s appropriate for your group’s size, formality and context. Don’t overcomplicate it - keep it clear, concise and something you can actually follow through on.

Example option: Minimal message

This wording that could be pinned in a group chat, meetup description or email footer:

We want this to be a friendly and welcoming group, and we ask for everyone's help in maintaining that. If you ever notice a problem or have ideas for things we could improve, please let us know! - [contact info for organizers and/or contact people]

Example option: Short code of conduct

Keep it clear, concise, and relevant to your space. Example text you could use or adapt:

We want this to be a friendly and productive space. These behaviors don't belong in our group:

• Offensive, disruptive, or discriminatory actions or communication.
• Unwanted sexual attention or harassment of any kind.

If you break this code of conduct, or if you make other group members uncomfortable repeatedly, we may warn you to change your behavior. Or we may ask you to leave the group, either temporarily or long-term.

If you have any concerns about a problem in the group, please contact [organizers and/or contact people.] As an additional option, you could contact the Community Health Team at the Centre for Effective Altruism.

More examples below.

3. Tips for a good policy

Make it clear how group members can get support

• Put this information where people will see it - pinned messages, event descriptions, email footers etc. Some groups have a designated contact person who can respond to issues in a group.
• Ideally have multiple options to make it more likely that issues will reach you.
• E.g. in person, and an anonymous form
• Give people the option of two different people

You could also include a link to CEA's Community Health team for additional support on interpersonal issues. The team can be contacted anonymously, and their confidentiality policy is here.

Consequences

• Many guides advise including information about consequences. It can make people more willing to come to you with concerns when they know more about the process. We recommend that you signal that there's a range of possible responses, not just "nothing happens" or "the person gets kicked out of the group."
• Be cautious about "zero tolerance" framing. It can sound reassuring, but it sometimes discourages reporting. People can worry about causing consequences they see as disproportionate, and putting themselves at risk of retaliation. We think an approach that takes issues seriously, but has flexibility tends to work better.
• Many guides advise spelling out details, e.g. what kinds of things are harassment. This can trade off against readability, particularly if there are many aspects to your code of conduct.
• The EA NYC group navigates this by having a summary at the top, then more detail.
• The EA Global code of conduct comes alongside further information about behavior and about reporting in the Event Guide.
• Take concerns seriously. If problems are ignored, that risks enabling further harmful behavior and can make people less likely to report things in future. Following your policy can build trust over time.

Tailor it to your context

A code of conduct works best when it reflects your space. Think about what's specific to your group and what issues are most likely to come up:

• If you're a university group, check whether your student union or university has conduct policies you need to align with or reporting obligations you should know about.
• If you run an online group, think about how you'll moderate (e.g. what happens if someone posts something inappropriate) and how people can flag concerns to you privately.
• If you run a fellowship or other professional program, you may want a policy about mentors not dating mentees during the program.
• If under-18s attend your events, check whether you have any extra legal or safeguarding obligations in your region / university.
• For longer events like retreats and conferences, CEA wants to be especially sure that people understand they can be asked to leave if they behave badly. Here's an example code of conduct from a CEA event.
• Related: advice on community health at retreats.

It can be good to get input from your group on the expectations they want to set.

Benefits of a code of conduct

• People may be less likely to behave badly in spaces that have explicit expectations and clearly care about having a positive culture.
• To people wondering what will happen if they experience a problem, it makes it explicit that you will take concerns seriously.
• Problems can and do happen in communities everywhere. A code of conduct lets people know how to get help if something does go wrong. This can be especially helpful to new people who don’t yet know the organizers.
• It can help organizers respond to a difficult situation. It can be easier to say 'Hey you broke the rules we set, here's the consequence' compared to no structure or it feeling like a personal judgement call.

4. Sample codes of conduct from EA spaces

• EA UK's code of conduct and sexual harassment policy.
• EA NYC's code of conduct. They've also written what they've done to improve their group's community health in 2022.
• EA Germany's code of conduct.
• EA Finland’s code of conduct.
• Trajan House's code of conduct — includes a good example of a "how we handle issues" section.
• EA Global and EAGx conferences code of conduct
• EA Connect 2025’s code of conduct. This was a large online conference, so the code of conduct was focused on moderation of online discussions.

These are just examples. Please don’t adopt one without checking it works with your space and context.